Ovie Mughelli cut by Falcons. Thought they were super high on that guy

ACL.

Plus theyre going towards a more wide open passing offense this year which I'm predicting will spectacularly fail on them, bc Mularkey was never the problem. Matt Ryan just isn't that guy. Which they'll find out this year.

Matt Ryan is a great game manager who can take you to the promised land with a great defense and run game, where he manages the game and does some Ice **** at the end of the game, but he's never going to be a guy who just dissects your defense for 4 quarters.

Plus theyre going towards a more wide open passing offense this year which I'm predicting will spectacularly fail on them, bc Mularkey was never the problem. Matt Ryan just isn't that guy. Which they'll find out this year.

Matt Ryan is a great game manager who can take you to the promised land with a great defense and run game, where he manages the game and does some Ice **** at the end of the game, but he's never going to be a guy who just dissects your defense for 4 quarters.

If you can cover 10 yards down the field and 20 down the middle, you can beat Matt Ryan. He was hilariously awful in that Giants playoff loss. Force him mid-deep outside and his lack of ideal arm strength becomes readily apparent.

And they insist on feed Turner who is probably the most one-dimensional back left in the league. I hope that if they go more wide open, they use a lot more Jaquizz. He'd fit that role MUCH better and give Matt a legitimate dump off target.

Plus theyre going towards a more wide open passing offense this year which I'm predicting will spectacularly fail on them, bc Mularkey was never the problem. Matt Ryan just isn't that guy. Which they'll find out this year.

Matt Ryan is a great game manager who can take you to the promised land with a great defense and run game, where he manages the game and does some Ice **** at the end of the game, but he's never going to be a guy who just dissects your defense for 4 quarters.

IMO you're wrong but time will tell. Ovie was cut because of his ACL and he had an enormous cap number this year. We drafted Bradie Ewing in the 5th who will most likely be our new FB.

IMO you're wrong but time will tell. Ovie was cut because of his ACL and he had an enormous cap number this year. We drafted Bradie Ewing in the 5th who will most likely be our new FB.

I look at it this way: The Falcons were what, 24-2 when Turner runs for like 100 yards? Why wouldn't you want to run the rock?

I feel like there's this feeling within the organization and within the fan base that they have to cater to Ryan being "the guy" to justify him. Just do what wins. The winning formula is running the rock with a power running game. Who cares if Ryan goes 18-20 for 220 yards. It's about winning, he doesn't have to be Aaron Rodgers out there.

I'm a big fan of Matt Ryan and feel like he's going to be a top-ten quarterback in the next few years once some of the older guys retire.

When those older guys retire you have to account for the QBs coming in as well. Luck, Griffin, Newton, Gabbert (jk, seeing who's paying attention). I'll throw in Barkley and Tannehill. Then there are guys like Rodgers, Stafford, Big Ben, Eli, who have done more than Ryan to solidify themselves ahead of him.

Matt Ryan gets too much hate. The Falcons will probably be in the playoffs again next year. Ryan is more than good enough with Jones, White and Gonzalez to take advantage of all the terrible defenses in the league (and there's three of them in their own division, so that doesn't hurt). They are pretty much money at home since drafting Ryan.

He might not be an incredible QB that single handedly wins games, but he has had some pretty clutch (regular season) moments. He might not be the best QB to play in a really creative offense, and in my opinion he and his receivers have all been somewhat limited by the lack of creativity they had under Mularkey. Of course, that did help them in a lot of situations because of how bad their defense was, they kind of needed to play a more conservative, clock consuming style of offense.

tl;dr this forum hates on Ryan too much. He is what he is, which is basically a Trent Green in KC type QB and there isn't anything wrong with that. KC fans would commit murder to have an early '00s healthy Trent Green right now.

I don't know, I think a running back with three straight seasons over 1,000 yards deserves a roster spot, especially coming from a division which is difficult to run the ball in. There are some pretty slim pickings in free agency at this point; Ryan Grant may be the second-best back available.

Yardage gained is a pretty weak stat. It doesn't have much to do with a back's ability, but everything to do with a coach keeping him in and calling run plays.

By position, I think these are the players that can be reasonably expected to contribute in a positive manner:

QB
1. Ummm. Good luck?

FB
1. Earnest GrahamStill a quality starter if he's back from his ACL tear.

RB
1. Jackie Battle
2. Ryan Grant
3. Cedric BensonI wouldn't give any of them the bulk of my carries, but I like all as parts of a committee.

TE:
1. Jeremy ShockeyStill a solid choice as a primary backup.

OT
1. Tony Pashos
2. Marcus McNeillPashos is only a right tackle, and only in a pass-heavy offense. Solid in protection, not-so-solid in opening holes. McNeill played badly last season. He's only on the list based on his past and the value/scarcity of the position.

OC
1. Casey WiegmannHe was surprisingly still a little bit above-average last season, but he's about 100 years old.

OG
1. Montrae Holland
2. Jake Scott
3. Bobbie WilliamsMontrae still performed like a good all-around starter last year, even if he did get jerked around. Scott can only pass block now, but he does that like one of the best in the league. Williams was effective last season, but with his age, probably can't be counted on to start all season long.

Carter's probably not ready to come back. Roth was good before his concussion last season. Hall noticeably lost a step last season, but was still a pretty decent all-around end. Vonnie Holliday is picked up every year as a rotational guy and always generates QB pressures in his limited snaps, but is always allowed to leave. Once again, he should find a job in a 3-4 DE rotation. Tommie Harris was productive in that same role last season, but his knees are ticking time bombs. Someone is still going to get some value out of Brock in a 4-3 rotation.

DT
1. Albert Haynesworth
2. Fred Robbins
3. Marcus Thomas
4. Rocky Bernard
5. Kelly GreggIn Tampa, fat Albert was deceptively above-average. Unfortunately, his pressures didn't translate into sacks, so no one knows. I'd take him in a 4-3 rotation, but probably not as a starter. Robbins is about the same at this point. Thomas is good against the run, but doesn't offer much against the pass. Bernard still has value as part of a 4-3 rotation on passing downs. Gregg was still right around average last year, but he's obviously playing on borrowed time.

LB
1. EJ Henderson
2. Mario HagganTwo guys who were good against the run but liabilities against the pass last season.

Jake is so bad against the run that his pass protection skills might not be enough to get him on a team this year. He just can't hold up at the point at all, and when I say that I mean not a single snap.

anyone have any idea if duenta williams is ever gonna play again? i know he sat out last year to rehab

Article from January.

Quote:

Former White Oak star, UNC safety now pursuing career in radio
Williams had leg injury in bowl gameJanuary 18, 2012 6:29 AM
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Chris Miller
The Daily News

A devastating leg injury was too much for Deunta Williams to overcome.

The former White Oak High football standout and North Carolina safety is no longer pursuing a career as a football player.

But that’s just fine with the 24-year-old Williams.

“My football days are done,” he said in a recent telephone interview. “It was one of those career-ending injuries and there is nothing I can do about that. But I have so many opportunities for big things and big projects.”

Williams entered the 2010 football season as one of the top safeties available in the NFL draft.

However, he acknowledged breaking his fibula in the right ankle joint Dec. 30, 2010, during North Carolina’s win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl was the reason his name wasn’t called during April’s draft.

And while he still attempted a football comeback during rehabilitation, he understood his chances of making the NFL were not too good.

But that opened the door for another line of work — in radio.

Since last football season, Williams, who lives in Durham, has been working in several sports radio gigs, including the Tar Heel Sports Network. During the season, he worked pre-game and post-game shows for North Carolina football, and he looks to continue that role in some capacity in the future.

“I got some experience about how they do things on the other side,” Williams said. “I saw how the media handles things and topics and it got me to understand in full circle as to why the media people ask questions.

“As players you see (questions) as personal. It was a different experience. It’s better to be in media than a player because you don’t have the pressure of making plays.”

Williams said that while playing he rarely let the media faze him. He didn’t pay too much attention to what all the talking heads were saying about him or his team. Given that, Williams never envisioned being in the media himself.

“I never saw myself being a broadcaster or a radio personality. When I was playing I prided myself on never listening to the media,” Williams said. “But it’s different. I really like the feel of it and I like how it allows you to show you understand football and how you can help people understand football.”

Williams is planning on helping North Carolina play-by-play man Jones Angell in a live signing-day show for the Tar Heel Sports Network. Williams has experience working with Angell, a graduate of Jacksonville High School.

“This will not be my first time working with Jones,” Williams said. “I was on a team of guys that covered the Tar Heels. We had a national pre-game show and a local pre-game show. Jones Angell covered the game and then they would do their post-game and then we would do our post-game show.”

Talk to Williams and you will likely get the impression that he’s not too disappointed that his football playing days are done. He’s happy moving forward in the sports radio business.

“After the injury I had felt calm and I knew everything would be all right,” Williams said. “It was a blessing. Throughout this time I have made a lot of contact with the North Carolina family and I have to thank God for that. If I was playing football right now, I wouldn’t have made those contacts and I wouldn’t have ended up being in a good situation like this.”

And now Williams is hoping his “good situation” rubs off on others.

Although he no longer lives in Jacksonville, Williams has plans to use his new job to help begin charitable work in the area.

“I want to help single-parent homes and kids,” he said. “I want to have a back-to-school drive and start up (programs) to get kids into recreation sports as well as (turkey) drives during Thanksgiving.”

When those older guys retire you have to account for the QBs coming in as well. Luck, Griffin, Newton, Gabbert (jk, seeing who's paying attention). I'll throw in Barkley and Tannehill. Then there are guys like Rodgers, Stafford, Big Ben, Eli, who have done more than Ryan to solidify themselves ahead of him.

I just don't see Ryan dropping that game manager label.

I agee! I met Ryan, and he is a really cool dude. I know the players like him too, but I just see him having that game manager label for a while. I see him as a stat guy, he will always put up good stats, but I think the important moments in a game or play off time, he needs to have a sick 1 or 2 games to shed that label. If he can't, then he will always be just a good QB, nothing more. He won't be considered great or elite, which the media loves to throw around.

Matt Ryan has 11 career fourth-quarter comebacks and 16 game-winning drives; eight of those comebacks came in the past two years, the same amount of comebacks that Eli Manning has led. Ryan hasn't had playoff success yet but he's 26 years old and has been to the postseason three times in four seasons. It's way too early to call him a game manager at this point. Are you going to say the same thing about Matthew Stafford if he doesn't win a playoff game this year?

Matt Ryan has 11 career fourth-quarter comebacks and 16 game-winning drives; eight of those comebacks came in the past two years, the same amount of comebacks that Eli Manning has led. Ryan hasn't had playoff success yet but he's 26 years old and has been to the postseason three times in four seasons. It's way too early to call him a game manager at this point. Are you going to say the same thing about Matthew Stafford if he doesn't win a playoff game this year?

Matt Ryan has 11 career fourth-quarter comebacks and 16 game-winning drives; eight of those comebacks came in the past two years, the same amount of comebacks that Eli Manning has led. Ryan hasn't had playoff success yet but he's 26 years old and has been to the postseason three times in four seasons. It's way too early to call him a game manager at this point. Are you going to say the same thing about Matthew Stafford if he doesn't win a playoff game this year?

There's a huge difference between what you can do with Matt Stafford behind center and what you can do with Matt Ryan back there, and you're smart enough to know that. Some of the Ryan hate gets a little much, I agree, but he's much more limited both now and in the future then Matt Stafford will ever be.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Goosemahn

The APS is strong in this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by killxswitch

Tears for Fears is better than whatever it is you happen to be thinking about right now.

There's a huge difference between what you can do with Matt Stafford behind center and what you can do with Matt Ryan back there, and you're smart enough to know that. Some of the Ryan hate gets a little much, I agree, but he's much more limited both now and in the future then Matt Stafford will ever be.

I agree that Stafford is the better player, but while we're all criticizing Matt Ryan for not winning a playoff game, how about Matthew Stafford not even making it to the playoffs? Ryan is considered a disappointment with a 43-19 career record and three playoff appearances while players who have done less for their team, like Stafford (13-16 career record, no playoff appearances) get a free pass? I think both Ryan and Stafford are franchise quarterbacks, but some people in this thread have been waving around Ryan's three playoff losses but conveniently overlooking the lack of playoff wins by other "franchise" guys.

You draft a quarterback in the top five in order to make your team a winner. The Falcons drafted Matt Ryan and immediately became a contender (11-5 in his rookie season.) With Ryan, you know you're getting a quarterback who takes care of things at home (26-4) and is ultimately good for 10 or 11 wins and a playoff berth. Ryan's yearly averages:

3,560 yards, 61% completions, 7.0 YPA, 24 TD, 12 INT

Aside from the 2009 season in which Ryan got hurt and missed two games, his statistics have improved every season. I just don't see any argument that Ryan isn't the quarterback the Falcons should build their franchise around.